The present invention relates generally to telephonic communication systems and, in particular, to a call notification system in a wireless intelligent network.
Wireless networks have evolved beyond switches and base stations that make connections between mobile telephones and telephones located in wireless or land networks. The current wireless networks that are deployed around the world are considered to be wireless intelligent networks. Intelligent networks have switches and base stations, but may also contain distributed processors such as home location registers, visitor location registers, and service control points.
An example of a wireless intelligent network architecture is the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) deployed in Europe, Australia, and the Middle East by various manufactures of mobile telephonic equipment. The architecture of a wireless intelligent network allows data to be stored and shared between intelligent network devices while shifting processing from the switch to other intelligent devices such as the service control points.
A common feature implemented on a service control point in a wireless intelligent network is voice mail. When an originating telephonic device attempts to call a terminating telephonic device and the caller is unavailable, the originating telephonic device can send a voice message for recording and later retrieval by the terminating telephonic device if the terminating telephonic device has the voice mail feature. At a later time, the terminating telephonic device transmits a voice mail access number entered by the user to the service control point for retrieval of the stored messages. A problem with the voice mail system is the terminating telephonic device does not know if any new voice mail messages have been left without entering the access number. Furthermore, if voice mail has been recorded, each of the messages must be played by the user in order to determine who recorded each message. This often can be a very time consuming task.
Some voice mail systems have voice mail indicators to allow voice mail subscribers to be informed that new voice mail is waiting. The voice mail indicators are often implemented on a mobile telephone as a light to signal waiting voice mail messages or if the mobile telephone has an alphanumeric display, by displaying a text message. Even with the use of voice mail indicators, the problem still exists of not being able to determine who has sent and left voice mail messages until the messages are retrieved.
Another feature that exists in wireless intelligent networks is the ability of the terminating telephonic device to automatically call back the last originating telephone number received. An example of an automatic callback feature is *69 in the public switch telephone network (PSTN). The problem with this feature is it only allows a called telephonic device to call back the last call received. Moreover, if the terminating telephonic device was busy when called, the originating telephone number would not be stored. Additionally, the callback feature exists only for PSTN to PSTN calls and has not been implemented in wireless intelligent networks.
In addition to voice mail and automatic callback features, Caller ID exists in wireless intelligent networks. Caller ID allows specially equipped telephonic devices to scan a list of callers. The list of callers usually contains the telephone number of the caller and often includes additional information such as the name of the caller. The Caller ID feature is limited because the terminating telephonic device must be powered on to receive data associated with the caller.
Thus a need exists for a called telephonic device to be selectively notified of previously unsuccessful call attempts by other telephonic devices to the called telephonic device. Additionally, a need exists for notifying a called telephonic device, that an originating telephonic device which had previously unsuccessfully attempted to establish a call connection with the called telephonic device is now powered on and able to receive a return call from the called telephonic device.
The present invention is directed to a system and method for selective call notification in a wireless intelligent network that resolves the above noted problems of conventional communication systems.
The implementation of the selective call notification process is on an intelligent network device and makes use of data contained at a home location register to selectively notify a telephonic device of the availability of another telephonic device. The selective call notification can be activated by an activation code at the telephonic device or by the telephonic device making an unsuccessful call attempt.
A mobile telephone user activates the selective call notification feature at the mobile telephone by entering the activation code and the telephone numbers of other telephones from which calls are expected. The mobile telephone is then notified by the selective call notification feature if any unsuccessful call attempts were detected from the entered telephone numbers while the mobile telephone was busy or powered off. Additionally, the user is able to activate the call notification feature upon an unsuccessful call attempt to another mobile telephone. The selective call notification feature then notifies the user when both mobile telephones are powered on and able to receive telephone calls.